Lone Wolf Assault Hand Climber Combo Treestand Review

Moriah Boggess

Gone are the days of lugging a bulky 30lb steel climber through the woods. The Hand Climber “Combo” by Lone Wolf Stands weighs in at just 14.7lbs and folds as flat as a book for easy transport. I purchased this treestand a year ago and just finished up a full hunting season using it. I do a lot of public land hunting and often find myself slugging through swamps to get back where hunting pressure is minimal. A light, sleek setup is needed for slipping through thickets, minimizing opportunities for my stand to hang up on brush. If you are looking to purchase a climbing treestand this may be just the one. Here are the facts you need to know before making your decision.

The stand retails for $379.99 and is one of several options Lone Wolf has in the climbing stand category. This stand is very popular among public land hunters and private land hunters wishing to use a mobile hunting strategy. While the price tag may seem steep, the old adage of “you get what you pay for” couldn’t be truer in this case. If I’m going to invest extra money in any equipment, I would rather it be the platform that is holding me safely 30ft up a tree!

Lone Wolf Assault Hand Climber Combo Treestand

Retail Price: $379.99

Roomy 26″ x 19.5″ one-piece cast aluminum platform.

Fits trees 6″ – 19″ in diameter. (longer traction belts available)

350-Pound weight rating.

Just 14.7-pounds

Made in the USA

In-Field Hunting Experience

I’ve used this stand in swamps in Mississippi and the mountains of North Carolina, but my favorite memory with this stand is my first public land deer harvest from it while sitting in a 6” persimmon tree on a Mississippi slough in October! I’ve packed it up to 3 miles back to reach unpressured deer and hunted out of it more than 30 times this season. My stand has climbed all different types of trees from small hard barked oak trees to large shaggy barked pines, I’ve put this thing through the wringer and still love it!

Lone Wolf Hand Climber Combo Quality

Treestand Platforms

The Lone Wolf Hand Climber Combo features a cast aluminum foot and seat platform that is very sturdy without packing on too much weight. They feel very durable and have a light gray matte finish that is non-reflective to eliminate potential glare alerting game. The framings that house the tree belt on the top and bottom are both aluminum. A flat dark brown also adds to the concealment value of this stand. I installed camouflage Stealth Strips from Stealth Outdoors on the aluminum framing. Now there is absolutely no noise when the two pieces contact one another.

Climbing Tree Stand Attachment Straps

The seat platform features a rotating sleeve on each side that houses the tree belt. These sleeves flip back about 100 degrees making folding up the stand effortless. When climbing you must be mindful that the seat platform stays in place between these sleeves so that the angle of the bite against the tree is not compromised by rotating of the platform.

The foot platform features a collapsing frame with a sliding hand tension nut on each side. These tension nuts must be loosened to expand the frame and tightened before climbing. I experienced one issue with these tension nuts when I did not sufficiently tighten them. They loosened after my foot pushed against them while climbing the tree and the foot platform threatened to collapse. There is a simple fix to this issue. Bare down on these nuts and get them as tight as possible with your hands before climbing and they will hold adequately for climbing.

Assault Hand Climber Combo Brackets

The “V” shaped bite area of both platforms are sharp enough to secure the stand in the bark on most tree species. The tree belts on the Lone Wolf climbers don’t utilize pins or holes for setting cable length and no metal is exposed. These polymer belts have an inner steel core, a flat outer side and an inner side covered in “U” shaped grooves that the cams lock into. Considering the overall width of the stand and the length of the cables, the Lone Wolf Hand Climber is ideal for small trees. Lone Wolf recommends trees 6-19” in diameter. Personally, I have found that trees in the 8-12” range seem to be ideal for this climbing stand.

When you reach your desired height, simply tighten the tension strap connecting each side of the seat platform to the bottom platform. This distributes weight from your feet to the seat and keeps it secured against the tree no matter how much you bump into it. This is a fool-proof design that I love. It should be integrated with all climbers as it eliminates unwanted noise by preventing your seat platform falling on the foot platform.

Lone Wolf Climber Comfort

This stand is not going to rock you to sleep with comfort, but that may be for the better. The design is optimized for packing in deep to spots most can’t access and doesn’t waste any weight or room for the sake of comfort. The seat platform is 12” X 16” and the cushion is just shy of 1” thick, while it’s not the most comfortable seat on the market it is adequate for this application and will likely require you to stand occasionally to rest your sitting muscles. The foot platform is comparatively small at 19.5” X 26”. There is little room to move about after you throw a bow in the integrated bow holder between your feet. Although, there is still enough room to spin around and make a shot behind you. I wear a size 11 shoe and when I am standing upright against the seat platform my toes are even with the end of the stand.

Unrivaled Treestand Packability

Backpacking this stand is a joy because of its lightweight and flat packing profile (only 4” thick). I do suggest upgrading the stock backpack straps that are included with this stand as they are just basic webbing that is uncomfortable to wear. I replaced mine with a set of military surplus Molle backpack straps and a waist belt off eBay, now I can forget I’m wearing this stand even after a mile or two!

Summary

I would highly recommend this climbing treestand to anyone who values mobility in their hunting arsenal. It is lightweight, compact, and a quality built product that should last for years. Keep in mind that this stand was not designed to be a Lazy Boy in the sky, but is an efficient piece of equipment for climbing up high while miles off the beaten path!

PROS:

Very Lightweight

Packs Compact

Tough, Non-Reflective Finish

CONS:

Uncomfortable Backpack Straps

Foot Platform May Collapse if not Properly Installed

Ready to buy? The Lone Wolf Hand Climber can be tough to find in stock. Optics Planet is a good bet with great prices and there are usually coupon codes available to save even more.

Thanks to Moriah for writing this unpaid gear review. Hunting Gear Deals is funded by affiliate commissions. We may receive a small commission when you buy from our partners using the links provided. There is no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting us by using our links when making your purchases.

Moriah Boggess is a co-founder of Hunt The Land Podcast and Blog. He is a graduate of the NC State University Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology program, and is a published author in Quality Whitetails, Purdue University Extension, and QDMA.com. He is currently a graduate student at the Mississippi State University Deer Lab where he studies interactions between deer, oaks, and other hardwood trees. Instagram- @huntingtheland

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